Defraggler and SSDs

As with a standard HDD, over time, the performance of an SSD will deteriorate with use. Defraggler is now able to optimize your SSD using a TRIM function.

What is the TRIM function?

When you write a file to a new SSD, it will be written directly to the block at full speed. However if you then delete this file, it is not instantly removed. The space it occupies is instead marked by the operating system as “not in use”. When the space is required by the operating system, it will overwrite this space.

However, unlike a standard HDD, it cannot do this in one action. It must first erase all the data before it is able to write the new information to the block. When deleting a file on an SSD, a TRIM command is also sent to wipe the marked block clean. This means that the SSD can now write to a completely blank block.

Unfortunately, some SSDs still do not support the TRIM function. Fear not however, as Defraggler is able to use an alternative method to help improve the write speed performance of your SSD. This is by using a method called, Zero Filling.

What is Zero Fill?

The performance of an SSD is based around the time taken to write to a block. This is at its quickest when the block is blank (zero-filled). If there are no blank blocks left, blocks must be erased to provide space for the new data. This slows down the write process. If there is no TRIM function available, the SSD cannot erase the blocks in advance.